Abstract (EN)

This paper defines new measures of horizontal and vertical mismatch based on the discrepancies between the skill content of occupations in which individuals have a self-assessed productive advantage and that of their actual job. Based on these definitions, this paper provides the first direct empirical test of the causal impact of networks on mismatch, in the particular case of immigrants. The data used are original survey data collected among 1,200 Senegalese migrants in four host countries. Potential endogeneity issues are dealt with by using migrants' ethnic and religious characteristics to instrument for network help to find a job. Analyses show that migrants who obtained their job through migrant networks have a higher probability of horizontal mismatch. However, they have a lower probability of negative mismatch and thus seem to be protected from a loss in occupational status.